U.S. patent number 7,152,619 [Application Number 10/894,494] was granted by the patent office on 2006-12-26 for air tap assembly.
Invention is credited to Mike Hwang.
United States Patent |
7,152,619 |
Hwang |
December 26, 2006 |
Air tap assembly
Abstract
An air tap assembly includes a mounting seat, a connecting
member, a stop member, and an end cap. Thus, the stop plate of the
stop member prevents the air in the air cushion from leaking
outward through the vent holes of the connecting member, so that
the air tap assembly has an anti-reverse effect to prevent the air
from leaking outward from the air cushion during the inflating
process, thereby facilitating a user inflating the air cushion.
Inventors: |
Hwang; Mike (Rancho Palos
Verdes, CA) |
Family
ID: |
35655856 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/894,494 |
Filed: |
July 20, 2004 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20060016489 A1 |
Jan 26, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
137/223; 137/895;
137/890; 137/599.18 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16K
15/20 (20130101); Y10T 137/87394 (20150401); Y10T
137/3584 (20150401); Y10T 137/87603 (20150401); Y10T
137/87555 (20150401); Y10T 137/87643 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
F16K
15/20 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;137/599,18,223,890,895
;251/82 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hepperle; Stephen M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kamrath; Alan D. Nikolai &
Mersereau, P.A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An air tap assembly, comprising a mounting seat, a connecting
member, a stop member, and an end cap, wherein: the mounting seat
has an inside formed with a passage and a peripheral wall formed
with a plurality of conducting channels; the connecting member is
rotatably mounted on the mounting seat and includes a cylindrical
body, a first pivot portion mounted on a first side of the
cylindrical body and movably mounted in the passage of the mounting
seat, and a second pivot portion mounted on a second side of the
cylindrical body; the connecting member has an inside formed with a
guide channel extended through the first pivot portion, the
cylindrical body and the second pivot portion; the first pivot
portion of the connecting member has a first end extended from the
cylindrical body and a second end having a closed wall formed with
a plurality of vent holes each communicating with the guide channel
of the connecting member and the passage of the mounting seat; the
stop member is mounted on the connecting member and has a distal
end formed with a stop plate protruding outward from the first
pivot portion of the connecting member to seal the vent holes of
the first pivot portion of the connecting member; and the end cap
is rotatably mounted on the connecting member and has a first end
rested on the cylindrical body of the connecting member and a
second end having a closed wall formed with a plurality of vent
holes communicating with the guide channel of the connecting
member.
2. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
passage of the mounting seat has a first end formed with an annular
stop flange radially extended inward therefrom, and the first pivot
portion of the connecting member has a mediate portion formed with
an annular limit rib that is movable to abut the stop flange of the
mounting seat to prevent the first pivot portion of the connecting
member from being moved outward excessively relative to the
mounting seat.
3. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
passage of the mounting seat has a second end formed with an inner
thread, and the second end of the first pivot portion of the
connecting member is formed with an outer thread screwed into the
inner thread of the mounting seat.
4. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
cylindrical body of the connecting member has a periphery formed
with a plurality of anti-skid ribs.
5. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, further
comprising a washer mounted on the cylindrical body of the
connecting member to move therewith and rested on the mounting seat
to seal the conducting channels of the mounting seat.
6. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 5, wherein the
cylindrical body of the connecting member has an inside formed with
a receiving recess, and the washer is received in the receiving
recess of the cylindrical body of the connecting member.
7. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
closed wall of the first pivot portion of the connecting member is
formed with a mounting hole communicating with the guide channel of
the connecting member, and the stop member is movably mounted in
the mounting hole of the first pivot portion of the connecting
member.
8. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
second pivot portion of the connecting member has a first end
extended from the cylindrical body and formed with an outer thread,
and the first end of the end cap is formed with an inner thread
screwed onto the outer thread of the second pivot portion of the
connecting member.
9. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
second pivot portion of the connecting member has a second end
having a periphery formed with an annular stop edge radially
extended outward therefrom, and the first end of the end cap is
formed with an annular limit rib that is movable to abut the stop
edge of the second pivot portion of the connecting member to
prevent the end cap from being moved outward excessively relative
to the second pivot portion of the connecting member.
10. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 9, wherein the
second end of the second pivot portion of the connecting member has
an inside formed with a receiving groove for mounting a secondary
washer.
11. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 10, wherein the
closed wall of the end cap is rested on the secondary washer to
interrupt a connection between the vent holes of the end cap and
the guide channel of the connecting member.
12. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
stop member has a mediate portion formed with a flexible stop rib
located in the guide channel of the connecting member and movable
to abut the closed wall of the first pivot portion of the
connecting member.
13. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 12, wherein the
stop rib of the stop member is wedge-shaped.
14. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
end cap is movably mounted on the second pivot portion of the
connecting member.
15. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
end cap 10 has a periphery formed with a plurality of anti-skid
ribs.
16. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
mounting seat has a cylindrical shape.
17. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
passage is longitudinally extended through the mounting seat.
18. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein each
of the conducting channels of the mounting seat is longitudinally
extended through the mounting seat.
19. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein each
of the conducting channels of the mounting seat has an arc-shaped
cross-section.
20. The air tap assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
stop plate of the stop member is circular.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air tap assembly, and more
particularly to an air tap assembly having an anti-reverse
effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional air tap is mounted on an air cushion (or mattress)
to introduce air into the air cushion by an inflator or in a manual
manner so as to inflate the air cushion. However, the conventional
air tap does not have an anti-reverse effect, so that the air is
introduced through the air tap to flow outward from the air cushion
freely, thereby greatly causing inconvenience to a user when
inflating the air cushion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an air
tap assembly, comprising a mounting seat, a connecting member, a
stop member, and an end cap, wherein:
the mounting seat and has an inside formed with a passage and a
peripheral wall formed with a plurality of conducting channels;
the connecting member is rotatably mounted on the mounting seat and
includes a cylindrical body, a first pivot portion mounted on a
first side of the cylindrical body and movably mounted in the
passage of the mounting seat, and a second pivot portion mounted on
a second side of the cylindrical body;
the connecting member has an inside formed with a guide channel
extended through the first pivot portion, the cylindrical body and
the second pivot portion;
the first pivot portion of the connecting member has a first end
extended from the cylindrical body and a second end having a closed
wall formed with a plurality of vent holes each communicating with
the guide channel of the connecting member and the passage of the
mounting seat;
the stop member is mounted on the connecting member and has a
distal end formed with a stop plate protruding outward from the
first pivot portion of the connecting member to seal the vent holes
of the first pivot portion of the connecting member; and
the end cap is rotatably mounted on the connecting member and has a
first end rested on the cylindrical body of the connecting member
and a second end having a closed wall formed with a plurality of
vent holes communicating with the guide channel of the connecting
member.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an air
tap assembly having an anti-reverse effect to prevent air from
leaking outward from the air cushion during the inflating
process.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an air tap
assembly, wherein the stop plate of the stop member prevents the
air in the air cushion from leaking outward through the vent holes
of the connecting member, so that the air tap assembly has an
anti-reverse effect to prevent the air from leaking outward from
the air cushion during the inflating process, thereby facilitating
a user inflating the air cushion.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide an air
tap assembly, wherein the air is introduced through the vent holes
of the end cap, the guide channel of the connecting member, the
vent holes of the connecting member and the passage of the mounting
seat into the air cushion and is also directly introduced through
the conducting channels of the mounting seat into the air cushion,
so that the air flows into the air cushion in a larger manner so as
to inflate the air cushion rapidly, thereby facilitating the user
inflating the air cushion.
Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description
with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air tap assembly in accordance
with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air tap assembly as
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the air tap assembly as
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view of the air tap assembly as
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a schematic operational view of the air tap assembly as
shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a schematic operational view of the air tap assembly as
shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a schematic operational view of the air tap assembly as
shown in FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing use of the air tap assembly in
accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 4, an air tap
assembly 1 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the
present invention comprises a mounting seat 13, a connecting member
11, a stop member 12, and an end cap 10.
The mounting seat 13 has a cylindrical shape and has an inside
formed with a passage 132 longitudinally extended through the
mounting seat 13 and a peripheral wall formed with a plurality of
conducting channels 131 each longitudinally extended through the
mounting seat 13. The passage 132 of the mounting seat 13 has a
first end formed with an annular stop flange 133 radially extended
inward therefrom and a second end formed with an inner thread 134.
Each of the conducting channels 131 of the mounting seat 13 has an
arc-shaped cross-section.
The connecting member 11 is rotatably mounted on the mounting seat
13 and includes a cylindrical body 111, a first pivot portion 113
mounted on a first side of the cylindrical body 111 and movably
mounted in the passage 132 of the mounting seat 13, and a second
pivot portion 112 mounted on a second side of the cylindrical body
111. The connecting member 11 has an inside formed with a guide
channel 110 extended through the first pivot portion 113, the
cylindrical body 111 and the second pivot portion 112.
The cylindrical body 111 of the connecting member 11 has an inside
formed with a receiving recess 119 and has a periphery formed with
a plurality of anti-skid ribs 1111.
A washer 14 is mounted on the cylindrical body 111 of the
connecting member 11 to move therewith and rested on the mounting
seat 13 to seal the conducting channels 131 of the mounting seat
13. Preferably, the washer 14 is received in the receiving recess
119 of the cylindrical body 111 of the connecting member 11.
The first pivot portion 113 of the connecting member 11 has a first
end extended from the cylindrical body 111 and a second end formed
with an outer thread 118 screwed into the inner thread 134 of the
mounting seat 13. The first pivot portion 113 of the connecting
member 11 has a mediate portion formed with an annular limit rib
117 that is movable to abut the stop flange 133 of the mounting
seat 13 to prevent the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting
member 11 from being moved outward excessively relative to the
mounting seat 13. The second end of the first pivot portion 113 of
the connecting member 11 has a closed wall formed with a plurality
of vent holes 115 each communicating with the guide channel 110 of
the connecting member 11 and the passage 132 of the mounting seat
13. The closed wall of the first pivot portion 113 of the
connecting member 11 is formed with a mounting hole 1150
communicating with the guide channel 110 of the connecting member
11.
The second pivot portion 112 of the connecting member 11 has a
first end extended from the cylindrical body 111 and formed with an
outer thread 116 and a second end having a periphery formed with an
annular stop edge 114 radially extended outward therefrom. The
second end of the second pivot portion 112 of the connecting member
11 has an inside formed with a receiving groove 119' for mounting a
secondary washer 14'.
The stop member 12 is mounted on the connecting member 11 and has a
distal end formed with a circular stop plate 122 protruding outward
from the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting member 11 to
seal the vent holes 115 of the first pivot portion 113 of the
connecting member 11. The stop member 12 is movably mounted in the
mounting hole 1150 of the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting
member 11 and has a mediate portion formed with a flexible
wedge-shaped stop rib 123 located in the guide channel 110 of the
connecting member 11 and movable to abut the closed wall of the
first pivot portion 113 of the connecting member 11. Preferably,
the stop rib 123 of the stop member 12 is forced into the mounting
hole 1150 of the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting member
11 by its flexibility.
The end cap 10 is rotatably mounted on the connecting member 11 and
is movably mounted on the second pivot portion 112 of the
connecting member 11. The end cap 10 has a first end rested on the
cylindrical body 111 of the connecting member 11 and a second end
having a closed wall formed with a plurality of vent holes 101
communicating with the guide channel 110 of the connecting member
11. The closed wall of the end cap 10 is rested on the secondary
washer 14' to interrupt a connection between the vent holes 101 of
the end cap 10 and the guide channel 110 of the connecting member
11. The first end of the end cap 10 is formed with an inner thread
103 screwed onto the outer thread 116 of the second pivot portion
112 of the connecting member 11. The first end of the end cap 10 is
formed with an annular limit rib 102 that is movable to abut the
stop edge 114 of the second pivot portion 112 of the connecting
member 11 to prevent the end cap 10 from being moved outward
excessively relative to the second pivot portion 112 of the
connecting member 11. The end cap 10 has a periphery formed with a
plurality of anti-skid ribs 104.
In operation, referring to FIGS. 4 8 with reference to FIGS. 1 3,
the air tap assembly 1 is mounted on an air cushion (or mattress)
2, with the mounting seat 13 being mounted to a corner of the air
cushion 2 as shown in FIG. 8 to introduce air into the air cushion
2 so as to inflate the air cushion 2. In addition, an air valve 20
is mounted to the other corner of the air cushion 2 to introduce
the air outward from the air cushion 2 so as to deflate the air
cushion 2. At this time, the connecting member 11 is screwed on the
mounting seat 13, and the end cap 10 is screwed on the connecting
member 11 as shown in FIG. 4, so that the air contained in the air
cushion 2 will not leak from the air tap assembly 1.
When a user wishes to inflate the air cushion 2, the end cap 10 is
unscrewed from the connecting member 11 as shown in FIG. 5 to
detach the secondary washer 14' from the end cap 10, so that each
of the vent holes 101 of the end cap 10 communicates with the guide
channel 110 of the connecting member 11.
In such a manner, the air of the ambient environment is introduced
through the vent holes 101 of the end cap 10 into the guide channel
110 of the connecting member 11 by an inflator or in a manual
manner to push the stop plate 122 of the stop member 12 to move
outward relative to the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting
member 11, thereby detaching the stop plate 122 of the stop member
12 from the vent holes 115 of the first pivot portion 113 of the
connecting member 11, so that the air of the ambient environment in
turn flows through the vent holes 101 of the end cap 10, the guide
channel 110 of the connecting member 11, the vent holes 115 of the
first pivot portion 113 of the connecting member 11 and the passage
132 of the mounting seat 13 into the air cushion 2 as shown in FIG.
5.
At the same time, the connecting member 11 is unscrewed from the
mounting seat 13 as shown in FIG. 5, so that the washer 14 is
detached form the conducting channels 131 of the mounting seat 13
to connect the conducting channels 131 of the mounting seat 13 to
the ambient environment. In such a manner, the air of the ambient
environment is directly introduced through the conducting channels
131 of the mounting seat 13 into the air cushion 2 as shown in FIG.
5.
Thus, the air of the ambient environment is in turn introduced
through the vent holes 101 of the end cap 10, the guide channel 110
of the connecting member 11, the vent holes 115 of the first pivot
portion 113 of the connecting member 11 and the passage 132 of the
mounting seat 13 into the air cushion 2 and is directly introduced
through the conducting channels 131 of the mounting seat 13 into
the air cushion 2, so that the air of the ambient environment flows
into the air cushion 2 in a larger manner so as to inflate the air
cushion 2 rapidly.
Alternatively, the connecting member 11 is screwed on the mounting
seat 13, and the end cap 10 is unscrewed from the connecting member
11 as shown in FIG. 6, so that the conducting channels 131 of the
mounting seat 13 is sealed by the washer 14. Thus, the air of the
ambient environment is in turn introduced through the vent holes
101 of the end cap 10, the guide channel 110 of the connecting
member 11, the vent holes 115 of the first pivot portion 113 of the
connecting member 11 and the passage 132 of the mounting seat 13
into the air cushion 2 as shown in FIG. 6, so that the air of the
ambient environment flows into the air cushion 2 in a smaller
manner.
As shown in FIG. 7, after the air cushion 2 is inflated completely,
the stop plate 122 of the stop member 12 is pushed by the pressure
in the air cushion 2 to return to the original position to seal the
vent holes 115 of the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting
member 11, so that the air contained in the air cushion 2 will not
leak from the air tap assembly 1.
Accordingly, the stop plate 122 of the stop member 12 prevents the
air contained in the air cushion 2 from leaking outward through the
vent holes 115 of the first pivot portion 113 of the connecting
member 11, so that the air tap assembly 1 has an anti-reverse
effect to prevent the air from leaking outward from the air cushion
2 during the inflating process, thereby facilitating a user
inflating the air cushion 2. In addition, the air is introduced
through the vent holes 101 of the end cap 10, the guide channel 110
of the connecting member 11, the vent holes 115 of the first pivot
portion 113 of the connecting member 11 and the passage 132 of the
mounting seat 13 into the air cushion 2 and is also directly
introduced through the conducting channels 131 of the mounting seat
13 into the air cushion 2, so that the air flows into the air
cushion 2 in a larger manner so as to inflate the air cushion 2
rapidly, thereby facilitating the user inflating the air cushion
2.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood
that many other possible modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is,
therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will
cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true
scope of the invention.
* * * * *